The answer is “Yes” and “No.” Consider a team sports analogy. A successful football team performs as a single unit, with the efforts of individual players blending seamlessly together. With this level of teamwork, the quarterback can lob the ball into to a spot on the field and “know” that his favorite receiver will be in the precise spot – at the exact moment – to make the catch. While this level of teamwork requires a great deal of natural ability, the players must also clearly understand their own roles and how the roles of all their teammates mesh together.
Not only must each player understand his specialized role, he must also recognize that he must do certain things, no matter what position he plays, to help the team win. For example, the quarterback may be called on to throw a crucial block, or the diminutive kicker may be required to make an open field tackle on a large and speedy kick-off returner. The point is that team sports require each player to be both a specialist and a generalist.
Business Management as a Team Sport
Management is a team sport that makes similar demands on its players. Unfortunately, many managers do not understand how managerial jobs are similar and yet different across organizational levels and functions. This lack of mutual understanding makes it harder to appreciate each other’s contributions and to coordinate work activities.
In addition to work coordination, executives who understand the similarities and differences in managerial jobs are better able to:
- Communicate performance expectations and feedback to subordinate managers
- Prepare others and themselves for transitions to higher levels of management
- Predict how an individual manager would perform if placed in a higher level job
- Ensure that management development efforts are targeted at the proper skills
- Diagnose and resolve confusion regarding managerial roles, responsibilities and priorities
First Level Managers: One-to-One with Subordinates
The most critical skill for supervisors is the management of individual performance. This includes:
- Motivation and discipline
- Monitoring performance and providing feedback
- Improving communications and individual productivity
The next most critical skill is helping subordinates learn how to perform their jobs effectively, including such tasks as:
- Training
- Coaching
- Instructing
While both these skills are important for first-level managers, they are decidedly less so for middle managers.
Middle Managers: Linking Groups
The requirement to manage group performance is the hallmark change in the transition to middle management. This new responsibility includes:
- Measuring and managing group-level performance indicators
- Defining areas of responsibility
- Providing feedback on the performance of subordinate managers’ workgroups
- Communicating about group performance to senior management
Another important cluster of tasks for middle managers involves planning and resource allocation. Examples include:
- Determination of group resource requirements and distributing them
- Translating general objectives into specific plans
- Determining evaluation criteria to measure progress and performance
A third critical task – one that is shared with executives – is the coordination of independent groups. This involves:
- Reviewing the work and plans of multiple groups
- Bringing the efforts of multiple groups together to create a unified approach
- Promoting the sharing of resources and information among groups
Executives: An Eye to the Outside
Upon entry to the executive ranks, the requirement to monitor the business environment becomes critical. The executive must:
- Have an increased awareness of business, regulatory, and economic trends
- Develop and maintain relationships with senior-level customers or clients outside the organization
- Participate in task forces to identify new business opportunities
Common to All Levels: Represent the Workgroup
Managers at all levels must be the spokesperson for their staffs. This requires them to:
- Represent the workgroup to others
- Communicate the needs of the workgroup
- Help subordinates interact with other groups
- Develop relationships with other managers that can be leveraged to obtain necessary information, products, services or resources
Building a Winning Team
Through training and other developmental activities, organizations can help managers build the skills they need at their current level. Moreover, they can anticipate the requirements for higher levels and start developing those skills early. The result will be a winning management team.
Reference
Kraut, A.J., Pedigo, P. R., McKenna, D. D. & Dunnette, M. D. 1989. The Role of the Manger: What’s Really Important in Different Management Jobs? Academy of Management Executive, 3:4.
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